[net.religion] on the meaning of "hell"

david@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) (12/05/84)

	There is an inquiry From: geb@cadre.UUCP about what it
means "to go to hell".
	I am not a religious scholar, but an ordinary member of
the Catholic Church; I believe that the original meaning of the
concept was simply to be cut off forever from God; this is by an
intentional, irredeemable presumption against the will of God.
In a sense, it is the point at which repentance is impossible;
no one, but God only, knows when this point has been reached.
	As for the afterlife, no one knows about this; there
are theological arguments about this, but this must remain a
matter of faith. Nevertheless, it is true that the one who is
cut off from God is already dead in his appreciation of the
meaning of life. But the mercy of God is to raise the living
from these dead, so that we who are called to be Christians
may share the eternal life of Christ. For ours is the God of
the living.
	Those righteous non-Christians of every faith are also
enlightened by God and share in the eternal life, though they
may even disavow so-called Christianity. It is said that everyone
who has faith in His Name shall be saved. But there is a possibility
of misunderstanding this. As Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord,
and not do what I say? I do not know you." The point is that
the meaning of His Name is not to be understood to designate a
person or a belief about a person. This will not save anyone. The
meaning of the Name of Christ is his spiritual Presence in this
world. We either share in this eternal life of His or we do not.
	As for the suffering of those who are "in hell", we may
see it everywhere. And it would be a terrible thing to live to the
end, but not to be at peace with ourselves then. If we are not
conscious of the event of our death, this may mean that our last
state of identity is, in a sense, forever. But perhaps God is merciful
even then.
	Dostoevski has said that the one who does not love, that
one is already in hell. I would say that the rest is less important.

					David Harwood